1 Kings 7

1 Kings 7 continues the account of the temple's construction in 1 Kings 6. The chapter covers the building of Solomon's palace and the making of the temple furnishings, and it leads into the dedication of the temple in the next chapter, 1 Kings 8.

Outline

• Verses 1–12: Solomon built his palace over thirteen years. The complex included the House of the Forest of Lebanon (100 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high), the porch of pillars, the porch of judgment, his own residence, and a house for Pharaoh's daughter, all built of costly hewn stone. The cubit is a unit derived from the length from the elbow to the fingertips.
• Verses 13–14: Solomon brought Hiram, who was skilled in bronze work, from Tyre.
• Verses 15–22: Hiram made two bronze pillars, each 18 cubits high, and adorned them with pomegranate and lily work. The two pillars were set up before the porch of the temple; the pillar on the right was called Jachin, and the one on the left Boaz.
• Verses 23–26: Hiram cast a round "sea" 10 cubits in diameter and 5 cubits high. It rested on twelve oxen and held two thousand baths. The bath is a unit of liquid volume.
• Verses 27–39: Hiram made ten bronze stands with wheels and ten lavers. Each laver held forty baths. Five stands were placed on each side of the temple, and the sea was placed toward the southeast.
• Verses 40–47: A summary list of the bronze furnishings Hiram made. They were cast in the plain of the Jordan between Succoth and Zarethan. The bronze was so abundant that it was not weighed.
• Verses 48–51: Solomon made the gold furnishings, including the golden altar, the golden table for the showbread, and the lampstands of pure gold. He then placed in the temple treasuries the silver, gold, and vessels that David had dedicated.

Key Verses

• 1 Kings 7:1 "But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years" — a verse often compared with the length of the temple's construction (seven years, 1 Kings 6:38).
• 1 Kings 7:21 "called the name thereof Jachin: … called the name thereof Boaz" — the verse that gives the names of the two pillars before the temple.
• 1 Kings 7:51 "So was ended all the work that king Solomon made for the house of the LORD" — the verse announcing the completion of the temple work and leading into the account of its dedication.

People and Places

• Solomon: The son of David and the king who built the palace and the temple.
• Hiram: The son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali. His father was a bronze craftsman from Tyre. He is distinct from King Hiram of Tyre, who bore the same name.
• Daughter of Pharaoh: Solomon's wife, for whom Solomon built a separate house.
• David: Solomon's father, who dedicated goods for the temple.
• Tyre: The city on the Phoenician coast from which Hiram came.
• Succoth and Zarethan: Two places in the plain of the Jordan where the bronze furnishings were cast.
• Temple in Jerusalem and the Most Holy Place (the inner sanctuary): The places where the furnishings made in this chapter were set.

Points for Reflection

• Interpreters differ over the contrast between the thirteen years spent on the palace and the seven years spent on the temple. Some read it as a criticism implying that Solomon gave greater priority to his own affairs. Others regard it as a natural difference resulting from the larger scale of the palace. The text itself does not evaluate the difference.
• The diameter of 10 cubits and circumference of 30 cubits in verse 23 are frequently cited in discussions of the value of pi. Proposed explanations include treating the figures as round numbers and understanding them as measurements of the inner diameter and the outer circumference.
• The parallel passage in 2 Chronicles 4 gives the capacity of the sea as three thousand baths. In addition, 2 Chronicles 2:14 identifies Hiram's mother as a woman of the tribe of Dan, which differs from this chapter. Various explanations have been offered to harmonize the two accounts.
• The bronze sea and the lavers are understood as washing vessels continuing the function of the laver of the tabernacle. In the New Testament, Revelation 3:12 ("will I make a pillar in the temple of my God") draws on the image of the temple pillars.

In Korean Churches

Sermons frequently address the names of the two pillars, Jachin and Boaz. These names are commonly interpreted to mean "He will establish" and "In him is strength."